The invention concerns a roller bearing equipped with an information sensor device.
Such roller bearings, when equipped with a rotational speed sensor device, an angular position sensor and/or a sensor of the direction of rotation of the rotating ring relative to the fixed ring, can be used, in particular, in the steering columns of an automobile. In particular, the information can be converted to function signals of the torque exerted on the intermediate column of the steering wheel, said signals being used by a computer-assisted steering system.
In another example of application, such roller bearings are used for the wheels of automobiles provided with an anti-locking system of said wheels, and the information is then used by a computer-assisted braking system.
Roller bearings equipped with an information sensor device containing a magnetic pulse generator-encoder connected to the rotating ring and a sensor equipped with at least two sensitive elements capable of detecting these pulses connected to the fixed ring are already known.
One of the problems posed with such roller bearings is connection of the sensor to the roller bearing.
In effect, the sensor must be integrated with the roller bearing in precise fashion, so that the sensitive elements face each other and are at a distance from the air gap of the encoder.
Moreover, and especially for safety uses, like anti-locking of wheels or steering assistance, this integration must be sufficiently reliable, so as not to risk inadvertent disassembly of the sensor.
To solve this problem, it is known that the sensor can be clipped or mounted on a transversal face of the exterior ring.
But this solution presents the drawback of being specific to each roller bearing dimension in requiring either a special sensor for each dimension of the roller bearing or roller bearings provided with specific means of connection for a given type of sensor.
For reasons of standardization of roller bearings and sensors, this solution is therefore not optimal, especially for applications in the automotive industry.
The invention provides a roller bearing in which a sensor can be connected precisely and reliably to roller bearings of different size by means of a device that does not require specific modification of said roller bearing.
The invention provides a roller bearing equipped with an information sensor device, comprising a rotating internal ring, a fixed external ring and roller bodies arranged between them, in which said information sensor device contains a magnetic pulse generator-encoder connected to the rotating ring and a sensor equipped with at least two sensitive elements capable of detecting these pulses connected to the fixed ring, said roller bearing containing an assembly casing of the sensor with the fixed ring, said casing containing a cylindrical support that extends over the entire axial length of the external transversal faces of the sensor and external ring, and means of axial holding arranged on both sides of said support, said means being supported on at least one part of the front and rear lateral faces of the sensor and external ring, respectively.